Misogyny is a hot topic, yet it's often misunderstood. What is misogyny, exactly? Who deserves to be called a misogynist? How does misogyny contrast with sexism, and why is it prone to persist—or increase—even when sexist gender roles are waning?

My book Down Girl: The Logic of Misogyny (Oxford University Press: New York, 2018)is an exploration of misogyny in public life and politics. It argues that misogyny should not be understood primarily in terms of the hatred or hostility some men feel toward all or most women. Rather, it's primarily about controlling, policing, punishing, and exiling the "bad" women who challenge male dominance. And it's compatible with rewarding "the good ones," and singling out other women to serve as warnings to those who are out of order. It's also common for women to serve as scapegoats, be burned as witches, and treated as pariahs.

Down Girlexamines recent and current events such as the Isla Vista killings by Elliot Rodger, the case of the convicted serial rapist Daniel Holtzclaw, who preyed on African-American women as a police officer in Oklahoma City, Rush Limbaugh's diatribe against Sandra Fluke, and the "misogyny speech" of Julia Gillard, then Prime Minister of Australia, which went viral on YouTube. The book shows how these events, among others, set the stage for the 2016 U.S. presidential election. Not only was the misogyny leveled against Hillary Clinton predictable in both quantity and quality, it was predictable that many people would be prepared to forgive and forget Donald Trump's history of sexual assault and harassment. For this is misogyny's oft-overlooked and equally pernicious underbelly: exonerating or showing "himpathy" for the comparatively privileged men who dominate, threaten, and silence women.

For more about the book (released late 2017 in the US), to read the table of contents, order a copy, etc., see the OUP websitehere or check out the Good Reads page here.

To hear me talk about misogyny in general or the book in particular (among other things) in my weird hybrid ex-pat Australian-American immigréaccent, you can listen to the linked episodes/segments of various recent radio shows/podcasts below:

Aside from being assigned as a text in several ethics and feminist philosophy courses (for a sample syllabus I developed incorporating it, alongside many other texts, see here), reading groups on Down Girl that I know of have been or will soon be meeting at: the University of Michigan, Princeton University, MIT, Harvard (via WOGAP, a Cambridge/Boston area feminist philosophy group), Virginia Tech, the University of Colorado at Boulder, the Washington DC area, the Chapel Hill/Raleigh/Durham, NC area, in Melbourne, Australia, and in Turin, Italy. Excerpts from the text have also been used as a basis for discussion in reading circles in several Unitarian churches and progressive synagogues in the US. Feel free to drop me a line if there are other groups I'm missing/forgetting--I'm always honored by the engagement with my work.

COMMENTARY

"Despite its somber topic, Kate Manne's Down Girl made me very happy, exhilarated indeed by its insight, analytical clarity, and committed engagement with a major issue of justice. I've been thinking and teaching about sexism and misogyny for a long time, but this book opened up fresh perspectives, for example in its convincing distinction between sexism as a set of beliefs and misogyny as an enforcement strategy. Each thoughtful person will have her own sense of where to locate the root of injustice to women, but Manne's cogent argument that misogyny is primarily about the demand that women give support, service, and care is surely at least one big part of the story of our turbulent times."— Martha C. Nussbaum, University of Chicago

"Persuasively defining 'misogyny' as hostile, demeaning, shaming, and punitive treatment of women, Down Girl brings out the misogynist logic of contemporary culture with wit and urgency. In this book 'misogyny' emerges as the law enforcement branch of patriarchy, and thus as a concept that fully deserves a place alongside 'patriarchy' and 'sexism' as a fundamental tool for feminist analysis. Combining conceptual clarity with passionate commitment, Down Girl is indispensable reading for anyone who wishes to understand the ugly strand of hostility to women that has surfaced in recent years in our so-called advanced Western societies."— Toril Moi, Duke University

"Kate Manne's brilliant Down Girl is a welcome antidote to the view that philosophy is--or should be--detached and otherworldly. In it, philosophy meets reality and the stakes are nothing less than life and death. Drawing on literature, television, film, social media, current events, and scientific research, Manne's unflinching and bracingly original account defines misogyny in terms of what it does: it polices and punishes women for not fulfilling their time-honored role of catering to men's needs and desires. Among its many other virtues, her analysis explains why, even as women are achieving greater equality, misogyny's stranglehold doesn't show signs of loosening anytime soon. A must-read for all who struggle to make sense of contemporary culture and politics."— Susan J. Brison, Dartmouth College

"Kate Manne has written a deeply moving and powerful book. It is politically engaged philosophical analysis at its best."— Sarah Song, University of California, Berkeley

"Manne's important new book deploys the tools of analytic moral philosophy to construct an arresting account of the logic of misogyny. It is sure to become a key reference point for future discussions of this vital, but hitherto sadly neglected, topic."​— John Tasioulas, King's College London

"Manne offers us a deep, insightful, and thought-provoking--if depressing--account of misogyny in America. This is a path-breaking book. It couldn't come at a more auspicious time."— Ruth Chang, Rutgers University/Oxford University

"Manne's Down Girl: The Logic of Misogyny is excruciatingly well-timed, providing a theoretical framework for a phenomenon baring itself before us, perverse and pervasive... Down Girl reminds us that while revealing individual misogynists is hard, uprooting misogyny is much harder."— Carlos Lozada, The Washington Post

"Manne brings a fresh analysis to our assumed understanding of misogyny and the related term sexism. As a feminist and moral philosopher... not a single book or article-length treatment [in the field] had been devoted to unpacking what it is and how it works. Historians, pay attention. Manne has stepped up to fill this gap... Manne as a feminist philosopher breaks new ground in a field that is in need of new perspectives...Having fought for recognition for the legitimacy of their method, feminist philosophers are firmly committed to excavating the political, epistemological, and moral aspects of gender relations. Down Girl should encourage historians who trace changes in the meaning and the context of language to revisit some of the old standby terms of feminism."— Lilian Calles Barger, Society for US Intellectual History

"Down Girl: The Logic of Misogyny by feminist philosopher Kate Manne... argues that misogyny pits women against each other: the good wife vs. "feminazis." At a time when high-profile sexual predators have been exposed, I can't imagine a more relevant read."— Carrie Tirado Bramen, Times Higher Education

"Kate Manne's Down Girl: The Logic of Misogyny provides an important and compelling analysis of a phenomenon that's everywhere. Out of Manne's thoughtful analysis, of not just much-debated high-profile events but also everyday experiences, emerge insight after insight into the what, why, when, and how of misogyny. Manne also gifts us a marvelous neologism to capture the exculpatory and even empathic attitudes sometimes expressed towards misogynistic men: "himpathy.""— Cordelia Fine, The Big Issue

"Down Girl is a must-read and should be in every feminist's library... [L]ong after reading it, I've found myself going back to it, quoting from it and rereading sections. Her analogies used to explain misogyny's many forms, provide much needed clarity; Manne also parses the difference between sexism vs. misogyny. In my opinion Down Girl is destined to become a feminist literary classic alongside the likes of The Beauty Myth by Naomi Wolf or Betty Friedan's The Feminine Mystique."— Jennifer Taylor Skinner, The Electorette podcast

"In the fiercely argued and timely study Down Girl: The Logic of Misogyny (Oxford), the philosopher Kate Manne makes a consonant argument [with anthropologist Alan Fiske and psychologist Tage Rai] about sexual violence. "The idea of rapists as monsters exonerates by caricature," she writes, urging us to recognize "the banality of misogyny," the disturbing possibility that "people may know full well that those they treat in brutally degrading and inhuman ways are fellow human beings, underneath a more or less thin veneer of false consciousness...There has always been something optimistic about the idea that our worst acts of inhumanity are based on confusion. It suggests that we could make the world better simply by having a clearer grasp of reality... The truth may be harder to accept: that our best and our worst tendencies arise precisely from seeing others as human."— Paul Bloom, The New Yorker

"Kate Manne has written an urgently relevant, brilliant but accessible analysis of how patriarchy functions within our context...Brilliant discussions of "himpathy," victim blaming, and other related subjects follow... Manne's analysis is unflinching and, as things stand right now, there is little room for hope that the big picture is going to improve any time soon. This is very highly recommended reading. Hands down, one of the best books of the year."— Dan Oudshoorn, Journeying with Those in Exile

"Kate Manne's Down Girl: The Logic of Misogyny is the most important book I've read this year... While Manne doesn't solve the problem or give us a neat or hopeful answer, understanding misogyny is an important first step, so we can recognize it and break the silence that enables it."— Skye Cleary, The Reading Lists

"Manne is a superb philosopher. Her feminist critiques are not just compelling but plainly stated. In this study, which I've been eagerly waiting for all year, she analyzes the systematic misogyny and sexism built into our culture and politics. It is a vital work demonstrating just how women are policed and silenced... it is one of the best books I've read this year."— Daniel Casey, Misanthropester

“With an almost eerie flair for the zeitgeist, the Australian-born Manne… now a philosophy professor at Cornell University in New York, captures the tenor of the times, urging every woman to speak up against intimidation, belittlement and assault… A big, ambitious and engrossing book, Down Girl raises the questions we should all be asking… Manne’s equanimity and epistemological delicacy further the debate, closing in on predators such as Weinstein and bullies such as Trump with more than good intent. She comes at the problem of misogyny from all angles, tearing it apart.” — Antonella Gambotto-Burke, The Australian

"This is the type of book that should be required reading for everyone. It uses historical and statistical evidence to prove that misogyny has woven its way into the very thread of society. The book illustrates how it's so ingrained in our culture that people of both genders rarely seem aware of it, much less critical of it. Often, it becomes such a norm in our society, that we fail to recognize its extensive effects on our everyday lives. Which is exactly why this book is so needed... [I]f you're looking for a book to start off your year with, Down Girl is an awesome choice. It's informative, eye-opening, and necessary. Leave 2017 behind. Take on 2018 head first with a real knowledge of how our world is currently working, and a better understanding of what you can do to change that."— Lipstick & Politics

"It is difficult to imagine a more timely moment for Down Girl: The Logic of Misogyny. Manne is a professor of philosophy at Cornell University, and she uses the abstract tools of her discipline to parse current events. Her guiding question is as troubling as it is straightforward-to quote the comedian John Oliver: "Why is misogyny still a thing?" Within the parameters that Down Girl sets for itself, the account of misogyny it provides is compelling."— Moira Weigel, The Guardian

"Cornell University philosophy professor Kate Manne is on a mission to define "misogyny." While we're culturally familiar with sexism, Manne argues in her forthcoming book Down Girl: The Logic of Misogyny that misogyny has been woefully conflated with sexism though they have different uses. Misogyny, in Manne's estimation, is about "controlling, policing, punishing, and exiling the 'bad' women who challenge male dominance." Through the lens of the 2016 election as well as the 2014 Isla Vista killings, the case of serial rapist Daniel Holtzclaw, Rush Limbaugh's "slut" rant against Sandra Fluke, and other news events, Manne outlines the danger of misogyny, and explains how we can collectively resist it."— Evette Dionne, Bitch Magazine

"This new book from Kate Manne, a professor of philosophy at Cornell University, makes a compelling argument for treating misogyny as a culture-wide system, not just a matter of individual bigotry."— Max Fisher and Amanda Taub, The New York Times' The Interpreter Newsletter

"In her new book, Down Girl: The Logic of Misogyny, Kate Manne examines an unfortunately ubiquitous reality through an intriguing lens. Manne, who teaches philosophy at Cornell, looks at misogyny from the perspective of power: rather than focus on whether individual men are misogynists or feel deep hatred for women, we would do well to spend more time wrestling with the power structures that not only allow for endless sympathy and space for men's poor behavior, but also--most crucially--help teach men that women are supposed to behave in certain ways."— Isaac Chotiner, Slate

"What We're Reading: A compelling conversation [by Isaac Chotiner, Slate, see above] with Kate Manne, a professor of philosophy at Cornell University and the author of a new book on structural misogyny, may change the way you think about the #MeToo moment. She makes a case for treating the wave of revelations as an opportunity to re-examine a culture-wide system of discrimination, not just individual instances of bigotry and harassment."— Amanda Taub, The New York Times

"What is misogyny? How is it different from sexism? And why does the male-dominated status quo seem to persist? A new book by Cornell philosophy professor Kate Manne has answers. She argues that misogyny is not about male hostility or hatred toward women—instead, it's about controlling and punishing women who challenge male dominance. Misogyny rewards women who reinforce the status quo and punishes those who don't...This book calls attention to the roles we all play in society, roles that we're assigned at birth and rarely question, and how we punish people--especially women--when they defy those roles."— Sean Illing, Vox

"This timely work of practical philosophy argues that misogyny is not defined by any private emotion or motivation--such as hostility or hatred toward women--but rather by a social function--controlling and punishing women who challenge male dominance while rewarding women who reinforce the status quo."— Adil Ahmad Haque, Just Security

“What is very impressive and at the same time interesting about Down Girl is Manne's ability to tie together the examples of misogyny to our culture at large and to do so in a way that clearly depicts and describes the notion of misogyny in a tangible way. As such, Manne has written a book that digs deep into the culture of misogyny, highlighting the notion of how misogyny operates both among the "everyday" man, as in the case of Elliott Rodgers, to very powerful and influential men in society such as Rush Limbaugh and Donald Trump. The nature of Down Girl is philosophical, but Manne is able to describe and tie philosophical thoughts and theory in with societal issues in a way which makes the book accessible to most readers.” — Hennie Weiss, Metapsychology Online Reviews

“Kate Manne’s first book is an ambitious work of analytic feminist and moral philosophy. Drawing examples from contemporary politics, classic literature, and sociology and psychology research, her writing also has an engaging, journalistic quality... Down Girl is a book centered around ameliorative definitions and their application to our experiences as political beings… Generally, Manne’s analysis is illuminating and convincing.”— Elizabeth Burton, Solidarity: A Socialist, Feminist, and Anti-Racist Organization ​

"Manne's is often a polemic treatment, shifting the conversation to take seriously what punishments and practices misogyny effects. Manne's most energetic, original contributions are best featured when she advances new, better ways of appreciating the impacts of misogyny on cultural self-understanding, such as when she coins the term himpathy to describe the tendency to express sympathy for men accused of misogyny rather than for women who accuse or did not survive to do so. Himpathy is a bit of jargon so fantastic that I can't believe it didn't exist already. Even more helpfully, Manne resists accounts of misogyny as dehumanising in favour of describing misogyny as expecting women to be human givers rather than beings. She ends with an absorbing, if depressing, account of the 2016 U.S. presidential election which she accurately predicted. "Agency is not lacking," however, when women tell their stories, or "set the record straight." Manne certainly does her part."— Kathryn J. Norlock, The Philosophers' Magazine

"There are few things more perennially relevant than a book about misogyny, but Kate Manne’s Down Girl: The Logic of Misogynyis particularly resonant in the era of #MeToo, Donald Trump, and the often contentious narratives that flow from both. A philosophy professor at Cornell University, Manne uses the tools of her trade to parse the current state of misogyny, drawing from recent events, including the election of Trump to the trial and subsequent convictions of Brock Turner and Daniel Holtzclaw... Manne posits a more rigorous definition of misogyny, one that follows its logic and ultimately recenters its framework toward its political nature—away from the feelings of misogynists and towards its victims."— Stassa Edwards, Jezebel

"Down Girl: The Logic of Misogyny [is] a carefully argued work aimed at a broad audience, which proposes that misogyny is the act of correcting women who fail to give men what men believe they’re due. Manne tosses out the common thinking that misogyny is equivalent to despising all women, and instead offers that it’s a way to keep women in their place. Misogyny, she writes, is “the system that operates within a patriarchal social order to police and enforce women’s subordination and to uphold male dominance.” Like a shock collar used to keep dogs behind an invisible fence, misogyny, she argues, aims to keep women—those who are well trained as well as those who are unruly—in line. The power of Manne’s definition comes from its ability to bring together various behaviors and events under one umbrella. If misogyny is anything that enforces women’s subordination, then it turns out that lots of phenomena fit the profile... [T]his past year... so many brave women have come forward to share their experiences of sexual trauma and have actually been taken seriously. The moment is ripe for a reckoning, and Manne offers the language and theory I’ve found myself grasping for... [S]he combines the hyper-articulateness of a philosopher and the energy and humor of a down-to-earth millennial, which is electrifying... Manne is restlessly driven by a sense that things are not right, a sense that this world is a very unjust place for women. She doesn’t think she can fix it. “I’m much more a clarity person than a solutions person,” she says. But she does believe that philosophy can help us understand what’s at stake in the broader fight to overcome patriarchy."— Regan Penaluna, Guernica Magazine

"Manne, very vividly and very powerfully, presents a important perspective on cruelty. Using the example of misogyny as a case study, she suggests that cruelty can be a moralistic act based on a certain ideology about how people should act. For Manne, misogyny is a belief that women should act a certain way towards men. When they don’t, violence and cruelty are often directed towards the women to punish them or to bring them in line.... [T]his is the mirror image of the very convenient, very palpable message in the dehumanisation work. What Manne is saying is that when you recognise people’s humanity—she links this with Peter Strawson’s notion of reactive attitudes—there are all sorts of moral risks. There’s a lovely passage on this in her book where she points out that to see someone as human means it is possible for that person to be a true friend or a beloved spouse, but it also means that he or she can compete with you, or disagree with you, or humiliate you, or betray you. Men and women often live together, and so you’re nose to nose with an independent cognitive agent, and this, along with misogyny, makes possible all sorts of cruelty and violence."— Paul Bloom, Five Books